In August, global trade show and event companies, suppliers, and industry organizations announced a slew of seasoned industry talent acquisitions and executive promotions. Plus, an industry association appoints new leadership. 

eMerge Americas  

TSNN’s take on the biggest move in August: Global technology conference and expo company eMerge Americas has appointed Greg Topalian, chairman of Clarion Events North America and founder of On Deck Ventures LLC, as a partner and strategic advisor. Held annually in Miami, eMerge Americas connects startups, investors, global tech organizations, and industry leaders shaping the future of technology and entrepreneurship through innovative programming and premium networking opportunities. 

The big picture: A 25-year veteran of the business events industry, Topalian brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to eMerge Americas. As the chairman of Clarion Events North America, he has been instrumental in leading and scaling some of the most influential trade shows and events across various sectors. 

Need to know: In his role as partner and strategic advisor, Topalian will work closely with the eMerge Americas leadership team to enhance the show’s global reach, optimize attendee experiences, and expand opportunities for partnerships and collaborations. His insights will play a role in shaping the strategic direction of eMerge Americas to ensure it remains at the forefront of technological innovation and continues to be a catalyst for economic growth in South Florida and beyond. 

What he’s saying: “I am honored to join eMerge Americas as a partner and strategic advisor,” Topalian said. “This expo and conference has established itself as a leading platform for innovation and entrepreneurship, and I am excited to contribute to its continued success. I look forward to working with the eMerge team to create an even more dynamic and impactful event that fosters meaningful connections and drives the tech industry forward.” 

Informa Markets  

Global B2B event organizer Informa Markets recently reorganized its health and nutrition division leadership with the creation of two new positions. 

Carlotta Mast, senior vice president and market leader for New Hope Network, accepted the position of senior vice president of global community and content strategy across Informa Markets. In this newly created role, she will focus on sharing best practices, inspiring teams with new routes to market, and demonstrating the ROI of focusing on content, community, and partnership to enable long term growth. 

Mast has served in the commercial leadership role for the New Hope Network brands since 2021 until June, when she took on this expanded role serving Informa Markets’ global community and content strategy. Boasting a 30-year career in content, she joined Nutrition Business Journal as an editor in 2008, working her way up to senior vice president of content and insights. After she was named SVP and market leader of New Hope Network, she helped transform the division into a community- and purpose-driven portfolio of event and media brands serving the natural and organic product community. 

Danica Cullins was appointed executive vice president of Health and Nutrition for North America, managing both the Natural Products and SupplySide portfolio of brands, and responsible for overseeing the growth, strategy, and commercial success of both the SupplySide and New Hope Network portfolios.  

Cullins has served in the commercial leadership role for the SupplySide network of brands since early 2021, when she was tapped to lead the SupplySide platform of events and robust content product suite, specializing in consultative selling strategies, sales group structuring, organizational development and leadership, with a strong foundation in portfolio management and strategic planning. She brings 26 years of industry experience, touching across senior roles in operations and sales.  

As the new leader for Informa Markets Health and Nutrition, Cullins will collaborate closely with Mast, whose larger divisional role will also be focused on helping verticals across Informa Markets expand their sustainability knowledge and practices.  

Specialty Food Association 

Chris Nemchek has returned to the Specialty Food Association (SFA) as vice president, tradeshows. He oversees the Winter Fancy Food Show, which will return in January to Las Vegas, and the Summer Fancy Food Show, held annually in June at the Javits Center in New York.  
 
After working in various leadership positions at SFA from 1996 to 2018, Nemchek struck out on his own, serving as President of Coach Global Solutions. He served as general manager of the Plant Based World Expo North America from September 2022 to December 2023. Nemchek officially started at SFA on Aug. 5. 

Visit Anaheim  

Visit Anaheim has tapped sports, entertainment, and hospitality sales and marketing leader Scott Oklin as its new chief marketing officer. Assuming his position in September, Oklin is responsible for the CVB’s marketing and leisure sales initiatives, providing leadership and direction in creating comprehensive and strategic marketing and publicity programs. 

Oklin previously served as head of sales at Travelzoo, where he led its business development efforts for nearly a decade and was integral in establishing partnerships with some of the most well-known destinations and travel brands in the industry. Prior to Travelzoo, he held significant roles with Goldstar, a live entertainment ticketing platform, and the Washington Commanders, where he specialized in sponsorship activation.  

BlueHive Exhibits 

Worcester, Mass.-based exhibit, events, and interiors design firm BlueHive Exhibits named Caitlyn Correia its next CEO, continuing her family’s trade show legacy into its third generation and first generation as a women-owned and run business. She succeeds her father, Paul Hanlon, who previously served as CEO of BlueHive, and will continue with the company as a consultant.  

Since becoming president in 2021, Correia’s focus has included overseeing employee growth and development, maintaining strategic vendor relationships, and ensuring premium service and production quality for BlueHive clients. In August 2023, she oversaw the opening of BlueHive’s second location in Las Vegas. 

After graduating with an MBA and joining BlueHive in 2012, Correia has held a variety of positions across the company, including roles in the shop, accounting, account management, operations, and marketing departments. 

Related: Listen to our Trade Show Talk podcast with Caitlyn Correira (February 2024) 

CenterPoint Marketing 

Brand experiences company CenterPoint Marketing appointed Mary Ellen Nixon vice president of client experience, responsible for refining and enhancing its client service and engagement strategies. Bringing a wealth of expertise in building high-performance teams and implementing innovative service models, Nixon previously spent a more than 13-year tenure at RES Exhibit Services, where she climbed the ladder from management to director, to executive positions, most recently serving as executive vice president. 

Women in Exhibitions Network North America 

Two Informa and RX leaders have been tapped to govern the Women in Exhibitions (WiE) Network North America (WIEN): Informa Connect Vice President, Group Content of Meetings, Sports, Travel Danica Tormohlen as president and RX Global Vice President, Corporate Development/M&A Toni Piela as secretary.  

Tormohlen, who had been serving as secretary, succeeds mdg, a Freeman company, President Kimberly Hardcastle, who served a one-year term. Piela joins the WiE chapter leadership team, serving alongside incoming treasurer Elizabeth George, senior conference lead for HIMSS Global Conference & Exhibition, which was acquired by Informa last year.  

Over the past 30 years, Tormohlen has produced award-winning content for industry media, reporting on association, independent, and corporate events. She currently oversees content for four media brands, including TSNN, BizBash, Corporate Event News and MeetingsNet, as well as in-person content for nine Connect Marketplace events held annually in the U.S. She is also host of the Trade Show Talk podcast. 

Starting as marketing manager with RX in 2009, Piela has held various roles at the company over the last 15 years. In her current corporate development role, she combines management of mergers and acquisitions, financial modeling, new event development/launch, RFP evaluation, identification of acquisition prospects, due diligence management, integration, and competitive analysis/tracking. 

Have some trade show-related people news to share? Please send announcements and high-resolution headshots to lisa.savas@informa.com.

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